


Homecoming.

by Sansmoak



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Finale, Speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-02 02:29:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16296548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sansmoak/pseuds/Sansmoak
Summary: After 5 months in prison, Oliver is back home and it’s not any easier than he thought it would be.





	Homecoming.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a random idea that struck my mind one night and I thought why not write it! This is totally unbetaed so mistakes are all mine. Special thanks to my love, Emily for the constant support. Hope you guys like it!

_”Felicity, I will always come back.”_

This sentence replayed in Felicity's mind over and over again like a nightmare that she couldn’t seem to snap out of. It was the promise that Oliver had made to her just days before breaking it. Days before he was taken away from her. She had really come to despise promises. What even was the point of promises when in the end, they’re always broken? On the one hand, she thought that words didn’t have much value; they were just alphabets said out loud that held little to no meaning. On the other hand, they were also enough to break one apart. Just like that, with this promise of his that he broke, he also broke _her._ He broke her apart into a million little pieces as though she were made of glass and even after months, she found herself surrounded by shards of this very glass, unable to piece them back together.

They say time flies when you’re having a good time but what they don’t say is that time also tends to come to a halt when you’re not having the best of times. Owing to that, five very long weeks had passed since Oliver was released from Slabside Maximum Security Prison. Surely, the days when he was away were hard and torturous but now that he was back, it wasn’t the least bit easier. How they went from being an inseparable married couple to complete strangers was something Felicity couldn’t fathom.

Ever since he came back, he had been quiet and faintly aloof. He had taken to doing household chores that kept him fairly busy, leaving only little time to engage in conversation just like he wanted. He kept his distance from Felicity and tried his best to not make eye contact with her. She was always good at reading him and his eyes were too much of a giveaway.

Felicity was starting to get really worried. It was a well known fact that Oliver didn’t like opening up and always kept things to himself but what was so wrong now that he couldn’t even look at her? He could at least talk to his son but he hardly said a word to him. William had finally started to like his new school now. Since the annual sports day was just around the corner, he would stay back at school later than usual, practicing for the big day giving Oliver more time to himself. He really wished that Oliver would sometimes practice with him like they used to but he knew better than to push him and was smart enough to give him space.  
Most days, Felicity would be so exhausted to even have a conversation with Oliver when she made it back home that the only time she opened her mouth was to yawn. With Curtis being out of the picture, she had been spending a lot of time with Alena working up some tech to help establish her new company. Alena had introduced Felicity to one of her trusted tech-savvy friends Ben who also started his own company a few years back. Since he had a lot more experience, he was of great help to Felicity as he was able to give her good advice, helped her come up with some innovative ideas and was even looking into investing in her company which made her squeal in delight.  
Starting a company from scratch was no joke. A lot of planning and hard work had to be put into it and that’s exactly what Felicity had been doing. With so much work piling up, it was only natural that she stayed back late to work things out with Ben and Alena. It seemed like she spent more time with her tech buddies than she did with Oliver and William and it certainly did not escape Oliver’s attention. The other day when she mentioned Ben to him, he was slightly taken aback by the revelation because he had no idea she was working on her company with somebody who was not Curtis. He had overheard them talking on the phone discussing some plans a couple of times now. Whenever she came home late, she’d already eaten dinner which he correctly assumed was with Ben. This company meant a lot to her and he was happy that she had something in her life aside from the team. However, he couldn’t help but feel a little left out and maybe a bit insecure. It was stupid, he thought to himself. As if he didn’t have other more important stuff to worry about than some guy who he hadn’t even met. 

__________________________

“Hey, so I’ve been meaning to ask you something. We’ve arranged a fundraiser for my new company. It's tonight and I was wondering if you’d like to come with me as my plus-one.”

“I haven’t really been out of the house much lately I’m not sure I’m ready to make a public appearance yet,” Oliver replies. 

“It’s really not that big of an event. Just a small gathering. There won’t be any press. We don’t want to reveal too much before the inauguration you know.”

“Why don’t you go with Ben. You two seem to have gotten pretty close anyway.”

“I’m sure Ben has other stuff to attend to and why would I take him to the fundraiser? It’s not like he’s my partner in this or anything.”

“It sure seems like it,” he says, under his breath 

“I’m sorry, is there a problem here?”

“No,” he says, dryly. 

“I should get going then.”

“Okay,” he says, letting out a breath be didn’t know he was holding back. 

Later in the evening, Felicity comes back home only to find Oliver sitting on the couch, all dressed up. 

“Looking sharp. Going somewhere?” she asks, passing him by. He’s wearing that blue shirt that brings out his eyes paired with her favourite tie. 

“Yeah, to the fundraiser. With you.” 

“I'm going with Ben.”

“Oh, uh, that’s fine okay I just thought-“ he replies, slightly embarrassed 

“Dear god, I was kidding! Just give me a while to get ready.” 

“Okay.”

_______________________________

They both were exhausted by the time they got back home. According to Felicity, the night went well and was pretty productive. All that was left to do now was to take a hot shower and get some much needed sleep. 

“I think I had too much champagne. I’m gonna make myself some coffee,” Oliver says, as they make their way towards the lounge. 

“And I am gonna go get myself out of this tight dress so that I can breathe again.” 

“It does look great on you,” he adds, making his way towards the coffee machine. 

“Thanks.” Compliments always gave her a fluttery feeling in her chest especially if they came from her husband. 

“You’re welcome.” 

“I have a board meeting early tomorrow so I’m gonna go to bed now. I’m really hoping this one goes better than the last one.” 

“Oh, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” 

“I hope so. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”  
_______________________

Oliver finished his coffee and had just made himself comfortable on the couch when he heard footsteps ascending. 

“Oliver?” she whispers into the dark, barely able to see anything. 

“Yes?” he replies. 

“Good, you’re awake,” she says, switching the lights on. 

“Yes I am but shouldn’t you be asleep by now? You don’t want to be late for that board meeting now, do you?” 

“I couldn’t sleep. Can I sit here with you for a while?” 

“Sure,” he says, scooting over and making space for her to sit.

“I wanted to thank you for coming with me tonight.”

“Of course. You don’t have to thank me.” 

Felicity gave him a soft smile and pecked him on the lips. 

She could feel him tense up and he pulls away. 

“Is something wrong?” 

“W-what was that for?” he asks, unable to meet her eyes. 

“What? Do I need a reason to kiss my husband?” 

“Are you sure you want to do this?” 

“What do you mean?” she asks, confused. 

“Felicity, you don’t have to be nice to me. Why aren’t you angry? You should be.”

“Oh, so you’d rather I be angry instead of kiss you, huh?” 

“You know what I mean.” 

“I am angry. I’m so so angry but I don’t want to be be angry anymore. It’s been weeks, Oliver. I miss you.”

“No. Don’t do this. I am not deserving of you or your love. Tell me you don’t love me anymore. Tell me you’ve gotten used to living without me that you no longer need me anymore. Tell me you hate me for leaving you and William behind. Tell m-“

“Stop! Please. Why are you being like this?” She cuts in. 

“You know I’m right. I’ve failed you before as a friend, as a partner and now I’ve failed you as a husband. It was selfish of me when I asked you to marry me. I've never deserved you.” 

“Please don’t say that. Just talk to me. We can fix this.”

“I don’t think there’s anything left to fix.”

“Look at me,” she says, angling his face so that he meets her eyes. 

“This is not who you are anymore, okay? You don’t run away from the people you love, you don’t give up on them like this. There’s so much we need to talk about that I don’t even know where to start. You’re right. I should be mad at you. Believe me, I am. But you were gone for five months, Oliver. I had never been separated from you for this long. It was so hard. I glance at you, at your lifeless eyes and all my anger evaporates. I missed you so much but now you’re back and you won’t even look at me. How can I be mad at you when I don’t even know what to say to you. I’m afraid I’ll say something wrong and push you away even more.” 

“Felicity, i'm so sorry for keeping you in the dark. I really am. The guilt is eating me alive and I just don’t know what I can do to make this right.” He tears up. 

“I know you are.” 

“I’m a monster. I don’t know what else to say to you.”

“You are not a monster, Oliver. Please, don’t shut me out. Talk to me.”

A pause.

“It was hell in there. You’d think it would be easier after surviving Lian Yu but it really wasn’t. You don’t know what I had to endure. There are things I can’t get out of my head, things that I’ve done just to survive in that hellhole. I’m not in the right headspace. I have nightmares every night and it’s inadvertently causing me to drive you and William away. I’ve caused you both so much pain and I don’t want to cause you any more pain than I already have.”

She shuddered at the thought of a helpless Oliver trying to survive in prison. 

“Then don’t, Oliver. Let me help you. For better for worse, right?”

“For better for worse,” he adds. 

“We’ll talk more about this tomorrow. Okay?” she says, pulling him in an embrace. 

“What would I do without you?”  
He could feel the heaviness in his heart ebb away a little. 

“Nothing, actually.” 

“You’re right.” He laughs 

“Also, I’m sorry about this thing with Ben. You were spending so much time with him and coming home late. I just thought that maybe you don’t need me anymore,” he says, pulling back to face her. 

“I will always need you, Oliver. Although, it did look  
like my dear husband was jealous.” 

“What? I wasn’t jealous of him!”

“Yes you were.”

“No!” 

“Whatever you say,” she says, rolling her eyes. 

“Anyways, I have something for you,” he says, taking an envelope out from underneath the couch. He definitely didn’t plan on giving it to her tonight but considering how his night just went, he couldn’t think of a better time to give it to her. 

“Really? What is it?”

“See for yourself.”

It was already past midnight when she opened the envelope.

“Happy anniversary, babe,” he said, with a beatific smile plastered on his face. 

It was a good thing that they talked through some of their issues before the anniversary. He didn’t want it to be another day where they stiltedly tried to make conversation and exchanged wishes that lacked spirit.

“Oh my god, Oliver. I don’t know what to say.  
You remembered? Is this really happening?” She says, smiling up at him with tears welling up in her eyes. 

“I'm actually very offended that you’d think I’d forget about our anniversary”

“No, I’m sorry it’s just that with so much going on I didn’t think you’d remember. God, I can’t believe you got us tickets to Aruba!” she says, absolutely ecstatic. 

In that moment, he felt a pang of shame engulf his insides. Had he been a good husband, the husband that she very well deserved, this wouldn’t have come as a shock to her. Rather, it would’ve been something she expected. Maybe, she had reached a point where she no longer kept expectations from him and that truly saddened him. What he wanted was to give her the world and so much more and he hoped she knew that. 

“I sure did.”

“So can I kiss you now or are you gonna start with the ‘I don’t deserve this’ bullshit again?”

“Yes you can.” He chuckles and bridges the gap between them. Felicity had almost forgotten how good this felt. They should totally do this more often. Preferably, in Aruba. 

“Happy anniversary. I love you,” she says, softly. 

“I love you too,” he replies. 

“Come on. You’re not sleeping here anymore.”

“Are your sure?”

“Yes. Now get up.” 

They made their way to their bedroom, hand in hand. Tangled between Oliver’s arms, Felicity slept peacefully to the sound of his heartbeat.  
One thing she knew she couldn’t get tired of, was the sight of waking up to his beautiful face. While he was fast asleep, she lay in bed, gently stroking his stubble. Her husband was finally home and it felt like this was the first step towards her broken fragments being pieced back together. 

________________________

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! ❤️  
> Leave me a comment if you’d like!  
> Twitter/Tumblr: @sansmoak


End file.
